AN EXPLOSION which flattened two houses has left ten people injured - two seriously - in a quiet seaside town in Essex.

One of the houses destroyed by the gas explosion in Clacton, Essex [MERCURY PRESS]

We were sitting there having breakfast and the next thing we heard this almighty bang and literally everything shook in the house - the conservatory shook, it felt like the roof was shaking.

Stuart Coe

Witnesses said it sounded like a “bomb going off” and described seeing debris flying in all directions, causing damage to windows and roofs following the blast at 8.30am today.

One man, believed to be in his 70s, is in a life-threatening condition after the blast in Clacton.

A woman, thought to be in her 50s, was taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, with severe burns.

Firefighters believe a domestic gas fault is likely to have caused the explosion.

Neighbours could be seen clambering over the rubble to help immediately after the explosion as the remains of the roof dangled precariously overhead.

One semi-detached house was razed to the ground and the second floor of a neighbouring property was left hanging precariously following the blast.

A third property was also wrecked.

Some 19 properties have been evacuated and the walking wounded include one young teenager, Essex Police said.

Two air ambulances and five road ambulances attended the scene, and the "immediate area" around the blast has been evacuated.

Early reports indicate it was a gas explosion, and a gas-fuelled fire is being allowed to burn under control in Cloes Lane,

Resident Stuart Coe told Sky News: "We were sitting there having breakfast and the next thing we heard this almighty bang and literally everything shook in the house - the conservatory shook, it felt like the roof was shaking.

"Obviously, the kids were upset and crying, we didn't know what was going on. And then we started fearing there had been an explosion and one of the neighbours believes she saw British Gas in the area yesterday.

"Within minutes of the explosion, we started hearing sirens coming down the road.

"It's like a bomb going off... It was a pretty nasty event."

He added that neighbours initially helped tend to the injured.

A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said the injured man in his 70s was airlifted to Broomfield Hospital in a life-threatening condition after being anaesthetised at the scene by air ambulance paramedics.

A woman, believed to be in her 50s, was also taken to Broomfield Hospital with severe burns.

The spokesman said: "The other casualties were taken with serious and minor injuries to Colchester General Hospital. Injuries include burns and trauma injuries, such as broken legs.

"Five ambulances, several ambulance incident officers, the hazardous area response team (HART) and two air ambulances attended the scene and treated casualties on scene before they were taken to hospital."

A primary school in Cloes Lane, St Clare's Roman Catholic, is believed to have been evacuated.

Ten people were injured after the explosion flattened two homes [PA]

Neighbours helped tend for the injured until the emergency services arrived [CASCADE NEWS]

Teresa Reed, a lollipop lady from nearby Towse Close, said she heard a "huge bang" as she walked to work.

She added: "Apparently people heard it in the middle of town but I had no idea what it was. It shook the ground and knocked people out of bed.

"I walked past a minute before the blast - a moment later and I could have been hit.

"I know one lady who lived close by so I'm just praying she's okay."

Assistant Divisional Officer Lee Palfreyman, the incident commander, reported that "everyone has now been accounted for".

The East of England Ambulance service said it received several 999 calls at 8.27am.